In this video we dive into the life of emperor Claudius and the beginning of his reign, where he managed to retrieve the last eagle standard lost by Varus at the battle of the Teutoburg forest in 9 AD. What was the significance of this event for emperor Claudius and his rule of the Roman empire?
INAH archaeologists discovered a nose ornament made of human bone in the Mexican
Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have discovered a nose ornament made of human bone in the ancient Mayan city of Palenque in Mexico.
The discovery was uncovered during excavations at House C, part of a palace complex built by Pakal the Great, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said in a statement.
The nose ornament was made with part of a human distal tibia and is engraved with a scene that expresses communication with the gods and ancestors.
For the first time in the history of explorations in the Archaeological Zone of Palenque, in Chiapas, a nose ornament with an eloquent carved scene was located, an attire made of human bone worn by rulers and priests of this ancient city, during ceremonies in which they embodied K’awiil, the Mayan god of maize and fertility.
Elemental study reveals the dying moments of the Pompeii victims
Asphyxiation was most likely the cause of death for seven victims of the volcanic explosion that buried the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, according to an elemental study of plaster casts from those individuals. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year 79CE, the research used portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology to acquire insight into the dying moments of people who resided in the city.
The researchers suggest that the Porta Nola victims’ relaxed positions are consistent with asphyxiation
Plaster was initially injected into the crevices left by bodies rotting beneath the volcanic ash in the 1870s to create the first casts from Pompeii. The casts still have the original body shape and contain skeleton fragments because of how they were created.
While these molds have provided information about the eruption and its aftereffects, the contamination with plaster has made it challenging to analyze the biological material. “The main [components] of the plaster and the bones are [calcium-based], but the proportion of phosphorous changes”, according to Gianni Gallello, the project's principal investigator and an archaeologist at the University of Valencia in Spain.
The researchers examined the elemental compositions of six casts from the Porta Nola region of Pompeii and one from Terme Suburbane using portable XRF to the compositions of bones that were either cremated locally before the eruption or buried in Valencia, Spain. The scientists created a statistical model to distinguish between plaster and bones within the castings by concentrating on the phosphorous-to-calcium ratios of the samples. According to Gallello, “the contaminated bones are very similar to the plaster while the less contaminated bones are similar to the burned bones.” It is thought that the chemical processes that led to the leaching of carbonates and phosphates are responsible for this resemblance to charred bones.
The fundamental information shows that the Porta Nola victims died of hypoxia brought on by breathing in ash before their bodies were buried under more volcanic material. The victims' prone, relaxed positions and the cast bones' chemical resemblance to incinerated bones, according to the experts, point to suffocation as the cause of death.
These findings are supported by Piero Dellino, a volcanology professor at the University of Bari in Italy. Neither the mechanics nor other stuff killed any people. He claims that people died as a result of breathing ash. The eruption persisted for a few minutes longer than was safe for breathing, not because it was hot.
The value of teamwork in science is one of Gallello's main takeaways from the piece. "A multidisciplinary approach is really essential in these kind of studies," he claims. In order to investigate these extraordinary remains, "a multidisciplinary approach is really essential in these kind of studies."
Dellino agrees with this statement. Because this world is complicated, he claims, fragmenting research and focusing solely on the biological, ecological, environmental, or geological element doesn't present the whole story.
According to Dellino, researching the past of the Vesuvius region enables people to both understand the past and plan for the future. The most dangerous volcano in the world is Vesuvius. 700,000 people are put in danger in the red zone [around] Vesuvius, he claims. If you study a thunderstorm or a significant flood, you learn virtually little about what happened at the time. However, after the occurrence, it's like a crime scene: you can learn a lot about it and then create plans for [future] mitigation.
"I've lived in Cardiff for 30 years, but I was unaware of the incredible historical wonder right outside my door!"
It was once a place for horse racing where the Welsh Grand National was held, but it became a public park in 1933 and is today one of Cardiff's biggest recreational fields. However, until a recent archaeological dig turned up what is thought to be Cardiff's oldest house, dating back thousands of years to the Bronze Age, its historical significance for the city went virtually unrecognized.
An aerial survey of a Cardiff park, where archaeologists and volunteers discovered a dwelling more than 3,000 years old (Image: PA)
The fact that a Roman villa's ruins had been found on the racetrack in 1894 had inspired searches throughout the park. Sir Mortimer Wheeler, who was in charge of the National Museum of Wales at the time, excavated the site.
He described his findings saying: "Here, some time during the first half of the second century, some Romanised settler built a small house upon an island formed by a branching streamlet in a flat tree-lined marsh. The house was of half-H shaped plan with wings facing south and fronted by a continuous veranda. Above this the main block doubtless rose to a second storey. Close by lay a second building, oblong in plan, again with a veranda along the main front. To the southern end of this second structure was added shortly afterwards a small but complete set of baths.
"In connection with this establishment, iron-smelting was carried on. After various modifications... the second structure was demolished and the remaining buildings were surrounded, apparently within a quarter-century of AD 300, by banks and ditches and not many years afterwards the whole establishment seems to have fallen into disuse."
University of Cardiff of archaeologists and volunteers working on discovering the roundhouse at Trelai Park (Image: PA)
This information inspired modern archaeologists to conduct some geophysical testing in the park (a technique for employing imaging to determine what is beneath the surface without having to dig) in order to determine what more riches might be buried beneath the earth. They were thrilled to find the roundhouse building's outline in a park corner around 200 meters from the home.
Initial examinations revealed that it had been a wooden building with a floor that had survived for more than 3,500 years under the playing fields, dating back to 1,500 BC. It had been about 10 meters in diameter. Even the presence of a sizable porch facing the rising sun could be discerned.
We visited last week to meet the group from the Caerau and Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project, which has been in charge of planning digs at the location. We were curious about what had been found and had no idea that we would learn about a wonderful region of the city that we were unaware even existed. The project team is housed in a former chapel that has been transformed into an essential neighborhood resource owing to lottery funding at a center at the base of the Caerau Hillfort.
Dr. Oliver Davis, a prominent archaeologist at Cardiff University and the project's co-director, is dedicated to ensuring that local residents are included. "The vibrant history of the hillfort and what we have found at the dig in Trelai Park is brought to life not just through the important archaeological finds, but also by the lived experiences of local people uncovering the heritage on their doorstep," he claims. "The modern communities living in the shadow of Caerau Hillfort face many challenges, but there is also an incredible sense of connectedness to be found here. If you stand atop the hillfort today and take in the view, you will see a very modern city which changes with every season, but you will also be standing upon the same earth as your ancient ancestors, gazing upon the same stars."
Co- Director of CAER project, Dr Oliver Davies (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
An extensive dig was started earlier this summer in the hopes of learning more about how people lived there during the late Iron Age and early Roman eras and what connections they had to the neighboring Caerau Hillfort using the knowledge about the roundhouse in Trelai Park as a starting point.
When the Hillfort was no longer in use, the archaeologists initially believed that this building might have been constructed in the late Iron Age. However, soon after the project's excavation teams got started in July 2022, a clay pot was discovered in the enclosure's ditch by volunteer archaeologist Charlie Adams, which led to a complete reevaluation of the site's timeline.
The pot was painted in a manner similar of Deverel-Rimbury Ware, which convinced the experts that it was from the middle Bronze Age, according to archaeologist Tom Hicks, who was in charge of the sub-team that made the discovery. More decorative features were found when the pot was transported to Cardiff University to be conserved.
Tom stated to CA, "We saw some decoration on it – thumbnail imprints which were quite easy to see with the naked eye – but it was only when they had a real close-up look at it that they could see corded decoration on it as well."
Retired teacher Glyn Everett (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
He added: "We’ve got lots of evidence in Wales for middle Bronze Age metalwork and burial but, to date, settlement has proved elusive. Trelai [Enclosure] wouldn’t be out of place in southern England, but enclosed settlement sites in Wales for that period are very rare. Most other middle Bronze Age sites in south Wales, such as Rumney on the Wentloog Levels and Redwick on the Gwent Levels, are open settlements of one or two roundhouses, but overall very few are known."
Dr David Wyatt, a reader in early medieval history at Cardiff University, explained the significance of the find saying: ‘We came looking for the missing link between the late Iron Age and early Roman period. What we found is something much more remarkable and much older. We believe the roundhouse could now have been constructed in the mid-to-late Bronze Age, going back to between 1500 and 1100 BC."
More than 1,000 people visited the site in June of this year to learn more about the history of the area, including 257 volunteers and 159 students from five nearby primary and secondary schools who were directly involved in the excavations. The archaeologists returned to the meticulously marked-out excavation site.
Since the end of the dig, 78 volunteers have contributed about 300 hours of their time to cleaning, sorting, and analyzing the artifacts at the CAER center in preparation for a display of the findings in December. Glyn Everett, a retired teacher who has always had a strong interest in history, is one of those volunteers who has been assisting with the project since 2017.
Sifting through the earth that was recovered from the site (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
He was sorting through the bags of earth that had been taken from the site on the day of our visit using conventional methods. The coordinates of the square where they were discovered have been written on the outside of all of the bags, which are dark.
The contents of the bags are then efficiently sieved and placed in trays to be cleaned before the archaeologists search through them for historical hints.
Glyn tells how certain items were even simpler to unearth. He claimed that retirement was driving him "insane" until he discovered the project.
"It is staggering what we have found," he said. "I was involved in the dig and one of the students who was in my trench found an intact flint arrowhead. She was actually working on a paper on arrowheads and she couldn't believe what she had found. Most people go through a lifetime not finding something as amazing as that."
Sian Davies, a volunteer from Llandaff North who has been involved for some time, joined him on the day. Her duties included cleaning and sorting through the marked-up boxes.
"Each tray tells a story," she explains. "In this one there is some charcoal which helps to give you an idea of how they cooked their food and heated their homes, there is some clay that could be from the pots they used, there are parts of bones and chippings. I have always had an interest in history and getting involved in this project and other digs in Wales has been fascinating. I love finding out more about the history of our amazing country."
Sian working through the soil that was recovered from the site (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
The group's headquarters of operations is a hillfort with a route circling Iron Age ramparts and medieval castles that have been found there. Early Ordnance Survey maps referred to the hillfort region as a "Roman camp," but little was known about the location until 2011 when CAER started conducting archaeological research. In April 2012, they asked the Time Team from Channel Four to conduct the initial dig there.
A "nationally important site" with more than 6,000 years of history, the hillfort is detailed. an enormous Iron Age hillfort with a medieval castle and church to a Neolithic causewayed enclosure. “This is the story of Wales told through a single site. It would have been an area of real importance, where leaders made some of the major decisions in the area at the time. Three thousand years ago this would have been where all the important decisions were made, a bit like the role the Senedd in Cardiff Bay plays today.”
Regarding the excavation in the neighboring Trelai Park, Oliver calls it one of the "most significant projects" he has undertaken because it involved discovering the "treasures that are locked away in the soil."
The long-lost tomb of Antony and Cleopatra has been discovered and will soon be revealed
Egypt's historians think they might soon find the long-lost tomb of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The leaders are allegedly interred together in a crypt that has been secretly located, according to archaeologists.
The historians are sure they have located the burial site, around 18 miles from Alexandria (Image: Getty Images/National Geographic)
"The long-lost tomb of Antony and Cleopatra will be eventually uncovered. The burial site has been finally estimated to be in the region of Taposiris Magna, 30km (18 miles) away from Alexandria," Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass said. The historian, who has a wealth of archeological experience, continued: “I hope to find the tomb of Antony and Cleopatra soon. I do believe that they are buried in the same tomb.We are so close to discover the accurate location of the tomb; we are on the right way. We know where exactly we have to dig.”
The Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt was last actively ruled by Cleopatra VII Philopator. She and Mark Antony allegedly bit themselves to death in August 30 BC when she was 39 years old by letting an asp to sting them.
However, some assert that she was murdered and assert that finding her body will help produce proof to support their claim. Marcus Antonius, sometimes known as Mark Antony, was a Roman general and statesman. He was given control over Rome's eastern territories, which included Cleopatra's client kingdom of Egypt.
It happens just a few days after a Ramses II-era royal hall from antiquity was found close to the Cleopatra location in question. It was discovered below soft-brick structures and commercial neighborhoods. The Jubilee feast and other royal ceremonies were held in the hall.
Underwater "amazing discovery" that might ultimately unlock the Stonehenge riddle
A piece of the Stonehenge legend has been revealed underwater off the coast of Israel, and this information may help to explain the long-standing enigma. A circle of rocks that matches the Wiltshire building uncannily was discovered by a diver.
The phenomenon was explored in documentary 'Stonehenge-like Structures Have Been Found All Over the World' (Image: Smithsonian Channel' WS)
New information that might help to explain the long-standing Stonehenge riddle has been disclosed by the discovery of a construction close to Israel.
The stone circle sites from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age draw tens of thousands of tourists to the UK each year. In Britain alone, there are more than 1,000 examples of stone circles, with 508 of them located in Scotland. These 4,000+ year old buildings may also be found all over the world, though. While many of them, like Stonehenge, continue to be a mystery to scientists, a discovery made off the coast of Israel may provide the final piece of the puzzle needed to explain the puzzling arrangement of boulders on the Salisbury plain.
A stone circle off the coast of Atlit, Israel may help explain Stonehenge ( Image: Smithsonian Channel' WS)
The Smithsonian Channel's brief documentary, "Stonehenge-like Structures Have Been Found All Over the World," which focused on the discovery, which was made close to the tiny Israeli town of Atlit, analyzed the find. Ehud Galili, a maritime archaeologist, conducted a routine dive in 1984 around 400 meters offshore to look for ships that had been discovered by shifting sands during a severe storm. He discovered an ancient sunken town on the journey.
"Usually we find remnants from shipwrecks like anchors, metal, nails, all kinds of artefacts. But while we were diving here we found a wall," he said. Within a few days, further foundations were discovered close by. The wall had once been a portion of a house. Galili noted that his team discovered about 15 family houses in addition to the skeletons of the people who formerly called the location home.
Stonehenge, the Neolithic and Bronze Age monument is in Wiltshire ( Image: Getty Images)
"We estimated that the population was between 70 to 150 people at one time," he added. "We found walls, dwellings, structures in situ as they were left. Little by little, we came to realise that it is a huge site, 40,000 square metres." One of the first human settlements on Earth, the site was over 9,000 years old according to radiocarbon analysis. A fascinating stone circle building in almost pristine condition was located in the middle of the abandoned settlement.
What connection does this, though, have to Stonehenge? According to academics, it provides a special perspective into why the stone circle structure was created in the first place. One of the earliest settlements in the world, the stones that made up the construction had cup markings etched into them. The stone circle may have been utilized for a ritual involving water since researchers think they formerly served as cup holders.
The Stonehenge, the Neolithic and Bronze Age monument is in Wiltshire ( Image: Smithsonian Channel' WS)
In another installation, three oval stones with grooves etched into them to represent anthropomorphic figures—possibly miniature gods—were discovered among the stones. "When you're looking at Stonehenge you're seeing a culmination of the labour of people, extraordinary use of resources, and an astonishingly complex, perfectly executed idea," said Mary-Ann Ochota, an anthropologist and archaeologist.
"Every time we find a new stone monument, it gives us another piece of evidence on that detective hunt to try and work out ‘what were the ancestors thinking?; why did they build this? And what did it all mean?’", she continued.
5 Mysterious Unexplained Artifacts of Ancient Vikings
Although considered by many to be a ruthless and violent horde, the Vikings have also left behind a few treasures, trinkets, and artifacts which suggest that they were in possession of technologies far beyond what was previously believed.
In the 1990s, on the island of Gotland, Sweden, the excavation of Viking graves turned up a number of pieces of quartz crystal that appeared to have been manufactured into precise shapes.
It was first assumed that these were ornaments until closer examination found that they had been crafted into elliptical lenses and that, as lenses, they performed nearly as well as modern equivalents.
Amongst the weapons, jewelry, and looted treasures that have been recovered from the graves of prominent Vikings, the Visby Lenses are arguably the most astonishing.
Some of the lenses have been treated as jewelry, set in decorative and intricately carved silver mounts, although it is believed that the lenses themselves may be a great deal older than their housings.
The Lenses have been cited as evidence that sophisticated artisan manufacturing techniques were being used more than 1,000 years ago, when the laws of refraction were not yet understood. The precision with which they were made suggests that a primitive turning lathe must have been used.
Some have suggested that the process involved in the making of the lenses may have been a secret shared by just a few master artisans or perhaps held by just one and that all of the Visby Lenses may have been the work of one single pair of hands.
The potential uses for the lenses have been discussed by historians, with various explanations being put forth. Some have suggested that they were used for reading. One researcher stated that, “they could have been used to start fires or to burn wounds and cuts so that they did not get infected.” The most intriguing possible use, however, is as part of a telescope.
If it were the case that the Visby Lenses are indeed elements of what was once a telescope, it would predate the 16th-century Dutch telescope invention by some 500 years...
Why You Wouldn't Survive in Kamakura Japan
In the following video we will be explaining why you wouldn’t survive in Kamakura Japan. Watch the video to find out more!
An Expert Examined This Mysterious Ancient Scroll And Reached A Startling Conclusion About The Bible
A scholarly examination of an enigmatic ancient Scroll has yielded a surprising conclusion regarding the Bible, as determined by an expert.
Almost 140 years ago, a man arrived at the British Museum clutching a set of ancient documents in his hands. Initially hailed as priceless relics, they caused a sensation – before being dismissed as clever forgeries and vanishing into thin air. Now, one expert has returned to the Shapira Scrolls and uncovered a startling revelation about these mysterious texts.
1,900-year-old Roman swords found hidden in a cave in the Judean Desert in Israel
The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of four extremely well-preserved Roman swords hidden in a cave in the Judean Desert.
Dr. Asaf Gayer of the Department of the Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Ariel University noticed the swords in a remote cleft in the cave’s upper portion, as he and other researchers analyzed a Hebrew ink inscription, potentially from the First Temple Period, which was discovered 50 years ago.
Experts believe were captured by the Judean rebels during the Bar Kochba revolt and placed in a narrow crevice in the rock. Also called the Second Jewish Revolt, it was a Jewish rebellion against Roman rule in Judea led by rebel leader Simon Bar Kochba.
“We’re talking about an extremely rare find, the likes of which have never been found in Israel,” Dr. Eitan Klein, one of the directors of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Judean Desert Survey, said in a video accompanying the announcement of the discovery. “Four swords amazingly preserved, including the fine condition of the metal, the handles, and the scabbards.”
Three of the swords are 60 to 65 centimeters long; one sword is 45 centimeters long. The longer swords are identified as Roman “Spatha” swords; the shorter one is a ring-pommel sword. Preliminary examination concluded that these were standard swords employed by Roman soldiers stationed in Judea.
Who are Tamils? Origin and history of Tamils
In the video below we will be explaining who the Tamils are. Watch the video to find out more about their origin and history!
The End of the 4 Great Conquerors
In the video below we will analyze the end of the 4 great conquerors. Watch the video to find out more!
5,500-year-old menhir discovered in São Brás de Alportel, Portugal
The menhir discovered in Monte do Trigo is of particular importance for the Sotavento region, but is also of regional interest.
The first archaeological work in São Brás de Alportel dates back to the 1870s and 1880s, when the municipality was still a parish of the municipality of Faro, and it was Estácio da Veiga, one of the pioneers of modern archaeology in the Algarve, who made the first inventory of finds.
A century and a half later, the first archaeological excavation in the history of the Municipality of São Brasense began on August 14. This was due to the discovery of a possible menhir in the summer of 2021 at the top of Monte do Trigo, in the Machados district, by a local resident looking for trilobites (fossils) on the ground.
The Regional Cultural Directorate of the Algarve collaborated with the City Council of São Brás de Alportel and the University of the Algarve, and "I immediately became 95 percent sure that we were facing a menhir," professor and archaeologist António Faustino Carvalho told reporters on Friday morning, August 18, during the presentation of the preliminary results of the fieldwork, which ended the same day.
A Montana Man Has The Oldest DNA Native To America, And It Changes What We Know About Our Ancestors
Darrell “Dusty” Crawford, whose Native American Blackfoot name is Lone Bull, looks over his results with fascination. He’s taken a DNA test with an outfit called Cellular Research Institute (CRI) and learned a lot about his heritage. What he doesn’t know yet, though, is that the conclusions will also have implications for all Native Americans.
How These Trees Turned Into Rocks (Petrified Forest Explained)
In the following video we will be explaining how these dead trees turned into rocks. Watch the video to find out!
Near an unexplored Beothuk site in central Newfoundland, priceless artifacts were discovered
Everyone on the team realized Don Pelley had made a significant discovery when he spotted the raised sidewalls of a former Beothuk home in 2016.
This clearing is the former site of a Beothuk dwelling, known as a mamateek. It is one of the last archaeological sites on Beothuk Lake.
Where the Beothuk had built walls around 200 years previously, the circular pit was still in great condition. There was no indication that the amateur archaeologists who had combed the area around Beothuk Lake in the past with metal detectors, digging up a variety of objects and leaving little in the ground, had interfered.
For many years, it was the region's most uncommon discovery.
According to provincial archaeologist Jamie Brake, "at the time that it was discovered it was the only known Beothuk house pit in that region … that had not been impacted by erosion or unauthorized digging."
Jamie Brake, Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial archaeologist, says more excavations are planned for the area so as much can be learned as possible before the site is lost to erosion. (Ted Dillon/CBC)
The last place of safety for the Indigenous people of Newfoundland was Beothuk Lake. They contended with diseases imported from Europe, hostile encounters, and the loss of vital migration routes for colonization. The final Beothuk, commonly regarded as Shawnadithit, passed away in 1829.
The final remaining ancient sites could be lost due to water levels on Beothuk Lake, which also serves as a hydropower reservoir, according to locals in the area.
Archaeologists were concerned about erosion after the site was found, according to Brake, and teams have taken steps to get as much information as they can from the house pit before it is engulfed by the lake.
A pair of Beothuk deer spears were uncovered near the site. Brake says they're perhaps the best preserved example of the tool used to hunt caribou.
What has been done to safeguard the location
Drones were used to map the region, and the land in and around the house pit was surveyed. Workers cut down trees that were thought to be at danger of toppling over and causing damage to the location.
The most susceptible areas have been excavated over the course of three summers by archaeologists, who have also removed significant items before they are lost to erosion.
Two deer spears, made of metal rods seized from European villages and sharpened at the tip to kill caribou, were among the objects discovered. They may be the best preserved spears that archaeologists have ever found, according to Brake.
A pointed piece of iron that is an exact match to a drawing made by Shawnadithit of the end blade for a harpoon that would have been used for sealing was another thing that was discovered.
One of the last Beothuk people, Shawnadithit, was taken prisoner by English fur traders in 1823. In 1829, she succumbed of TB.
In order to learn as much as possible before the site is lost to erosion, Brake stated that more excavations are planned for the area.
This harpoon tip was found near the remnants of a Beothuk mamateek on Beothuk Lake. Its presence at an inland site shows the continued importance of coastal seal hunting right to the end of the Beothuk period, says Brake.
Objects have a history
According to Brake, the artifacts allow archaeologists date the location to the late 1700s or early 1800s, which is close to the end of the Beothuk period.
Its position is crucial as well. Before Beothuk Lake was dammed and inundated in the early 1900s, the house pit, which is currently filled with water, would have been placed far inland.
According to Brake, it dates back to a time when the Beothuk were attempting to conceal from Europeans who were encroaching on vital hunting and fishing regions.
Given that there are no seals in the middle of Newfoundland, the discovery of a sealing tool in that situation is puzzling. Despite going farther inland to escape notice, Brake claimed that it demonstrates the Beothuk still had to travel to the coast at some point.
According to Brake, "it's probably a good indication of the continued importance of the coast for these people right to the end."
There may be more discoveries, but leave it to the experts.
The finding of an inland site gives rise to some optimism that others may be found in areas that have not yet been thoroughly examined, not only at Beothuk Lake but also in other regions of the province.
According to Brake, it's crucial that archaeologists carry out the work. He asserted that an artifact that is removed without thorough investigation is lost.
"If it's pulled out of its context, you lose its meaning," Brake said. "[It's] sort of like taking a word out of a page of a book. Once it's taken out of its context, you can no longer understand what it is, what its meaning is."
Brake said there are a lot at risk. To learn more about a people who are no longer with us to tell their own history, every piece counts.
"There's such a small amount of of surviving Beothuk material in existence today," Brake said. "We lose a tremendous sort of opportunity to learn more about these people. We lose a portion of the very limited physical legacy of the Beothuk. So every feature matters enormously. Every artifact and every site."
Israeli teenager unearths 1,700-year-old bronze ring among Greek city ruins
While touring a national park in the Golan Heights, an Israeli adolescent discovered a vintage Hellenistic ring.
View of the Hippos archaeological site at Sussita National Park in the Golan Heights, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, August 1, 2022.
A 17-year-old boy made a remarkable find when he located a 1,700-year-old item in a park near the Israeli-Syrian border.
According to a press release from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Itamar Grossman, 13, was visiting the Sussita National Park, on the ruins of the ancient Hellenistic city of Hippos, when something on the ground caught his attention after he went to a vantage point with a cousin to take pictures.
It turned out to be a prehistoric metal ring.
Itamar reportedly stated, "It was a strange and ancient-looking ring," according to All Israel News. My brothers and cousins thought it was just a dropped ring because they were with me and didn't think it was anything old.
Itamar insisted on bringing the ring to his parents and park officials even though his siblings and relatives didn't think it was anything extraordinary.
We knew the ring they discovered was significant the moment Itamar and his mother Liat contacted us and showed us it, according to Sarit Pilachi Miara of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
The metal ring was determined by archaeologists to be a Roman artifact, according to the press statement. The ring was found to be at least 1,700 years old, but it may actually be considerably older and may even go as far back as 100 to 300 BCE.
Archaeologists believed the decorative carvings on the ring were produced when it was first cast and they were still clearly visible.
View of the Hippos archaeological site at Sussita National Park in the Golan Heights, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, August 1, 2022. (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)
Ancient hippos ruins
An archeological site preserving the ruins of the ancient city of Hippos is Sussita National Park, which is situated on the Golan Heights close to the Galilee. Despite only having been made a national park earlier in 2023, it has been the scene of several archaeological excavations and discoveries over the past 30 years.
Around 250 BCE, the Hellenistic era saw the founding of the city of Hippos, which flourished throughout the Roman and Byzantine eras. It survived the Muslim takeover in 641 CE up until a devastating earthquake and subsequent abandonment in 749 BCE.
Numerous Roman and Byzantine remnants may be seen throughout the city, including the basilica, the odeon, eight churches, the forum, and the water reservoir in the middle of the forum.
An additional bronze artifact was found at the location in 2015 when archaeologists uncovered a sizable bronze mask that showed the Greek god Pan and was thought to have been made between the first and second centuries BCE.
Dinosaur Or A Chicken? A new ancient link in the evolution of birds
The earliest step of this evolutionary process is still unknown due to the relatively sparse and spatio-temporally limited fossil record, despite theropod dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic period being the ancestors of non-avialan birds. Knowing the early-diverging species along the avialan line is essential to understanding the evolution of the distinctive avian bauplan and settling phylogenetic arguments regarding the origin of birds.
Life reconstruction of the 150-million-year-old avialan theropod Fujianvenator prodigiosus. (Image by ZHAO Chuang)
A new avialan theropod that was discovered in Zhenghe County, Fujian Province, 150 million years ago was described and studied by a team of researchers from the Fujian Institute of Geological Survey (FIGS) and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.
Fujianvenator prodigiosus, a recently found species, shares a strange assortment of morphologies with various avian, troodontid, and dromaeosaurian taxa. It illustrates how evolutionary mosaicism affected the development of early birds.
Leading and corresponding author of the study, Dr. WANG Min from IVPP, stated that “our comparative analyses show that marked changes in body plan occurred along the early avialan line, which is largely driven by the forelimb, eventually giving rise to the typical bird limb proportion. However, Fujianvenator is an odd species that diverged from this main trajectory and evolved bizarre hindlimb architecture.”
The exceptionally long lower leg and other morphologies of Fujianvenator suggest to a previously unknown ecology for early avialans, one in which the species was either a quick runner or a long-legged wader, together with other geological finds.
"Besides Fujianvenator, we have found abundant other vertebrates, including teleosts, testudines, and choristoderes," said XU Liming from FIGS, the study's primary author.
Photograph and interpretive line drawing of the 150-million-year-old avialan theropod Fujianvenator prodigiosus, with a phylogeny and paleomap showing the locality of the Zhenghe Fauna (red star). (Image by WANG Min)
Southeast China had a high level of tectonic activity as a result of the paleo-Pacific plate's subduction during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Due to contemporaneous fault-depression basins and widespread magmatism, the Fujianvenator was found in these areas. The earlier Yanliao Biota was still existent in north and northeastern China throughout the Late Jurassic in this geological setting.
Dr. ZHOU Zhonghe from IVPP, co-author of the study, said, “The extraordinary diversity, unique vertebrate composition, and paleoenvironment strongly indicate that this locality documents a terrestrial fauna, which we named the Zhenghe Fauna. In-situ radioisotopic dating and stratigraphic surveys constrain the Zhenghe Fauna to the 150–148 Ma period. Therefore, Fujianvenator documents one of the Jurassic avialans’ stratigraphically youngest and geographically southernmost members.”
The discovery of the Zhenghe Fauna offers a novel perspective on the Late Jurassic terrestrial ecology of the planet, and the joint research team from IVPP and FIGS plans to continue investigating Zhenghe and the surrounding area.
Under the foliage of a parking lot, an ancient tomb was found in Nara
In what is being heralded as a significant archaeological discovery, shrubbery that was supposed to liven up a dull area of this parking lot turned out to be concealing the tomb of an important ancient figure.
Shrubbery at a parking lot in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, hides a sixth century tomb. Photo taken in March 2022 (Provided by the Ikaruga municipal board of education)
Since the spring of 2022, archaeologists have started conducting excavations in the vicinity of the Horyuji temple World Heritage Site.
After excavating centuries' worth of earth from the stone burial chamber, they found several relics, including two iron swords, arrowheads, horse-related objects, amber jewelry, clay pots, and clay jars.
According to scholars from Nara University and the municipal board of education in Ikaruga, the chamber, which measures around 3.8 meters in length, 1.6 meters in width, and 1 meter in height, dates to the late sixth century.
The absence of the stone ceiling led the scientists to surmise that the stones were likely used to construct Horyuji temple, which was finished in the early seventh century.
The Ikaruga palace, where Prince Shotoku (a significant political figure of the time) resided with his family, and Horyuji temple may have been built using the ceiling stones, according to Naohiro Toyoshima, an archaeology professor at Nara University and a member of the research team.
Toyoshima continued, "At that point, the stone chamber could have been buried along with all those items."
When archaeologists began digging, the circular site didn't look particularly interesting. It was about 8.5 meters in circumference and 1.5 meters high, and it was covered in shrubs.
But school board specialists had long assumed that the bushes concealed an old tomb; they termed it the Funazuka kofun burial mound.
But it wasn't until the recent excavation started that their suspicions were validated.
In Norway, archaeologists discover a Stone Age arrow stuck in the ice
The magnificent Mount Lauvhøe in Norway's Lom Municipality attracts a lot of hikers. However, hiking through Lauvhe is more than simply an exhilarating task for archaeologists who are Secrets of the Ice members. They've been searching the mountain's icy trails for evidence of ancient items for years. With the discovery of a 4,000-year-old arrow shaft, they finally struck gold.
The Ice's Undiscovered Gems
Many arrow shafts from the Iron and Middle Ages have previously been discovered by glacial archaeologists from Secrets of the Ice, a group connected to Norway's Department of Cultural Heritage. The Norwegian archaeologists discovered a Roman sandal from the fourth century AD on one of their expeditions.
After the ice at the location melted, they discovered something considerably older nearby. According to the design and craftsmanship of the arrow, the current discovery predates earlier Lauvhøe relics by at least 2,000 years. The projectile made of pressure-flaked stone is typical of Stone Age engineering. When the field season—the time frame for doing archeological research in the region—is over, the researchers will be able to submit a wood sample for radiocarbon dating with confidence.
Former hunters
This arrow shaft was probably used by reindeer hunters in the distant past. During the summer, these critters would climb to the freezing heights to escape the bothersome insects. This game was probably stalked by Stone Age hunters, who waited for the ideal opportunity to launch their arrows. However, this arrow must have missed because it fell into the snow.
Although the hunter misplaced his arrow, it has been saved for future generations, which is good news for us. "Sad for the hunter but a bull's eye for archaeology!" Secrets of the Ice co-director Lars Holger Pilø told NPR.
This discovery was made at one of Norway's 66 ice locations. Over 4,000 archaeological discoveries have been protected in these chilly chambers. It's like being in nature's own time-stopping museum. The ice is a time machine, as one of the archeologists so eloquently described it, "it brings precious objects from the past to our time in an unaltered state, like sleeping beauties."
We have a unique opportunity to connect with our ancestors and the world they lived in when the ice melts and discloses its secrets. Who knows what historical tales will next emerge from Lauvhøe.
